This Doctor Helping a Mom Dance Through Labor Is the Hero We Need Right Now

When you're a pregnant woman in the throes of intense contractions and your doctor walks in, that usually means one of two things: It's time to push, or it's time for another dreaded progress check. But a recent viral video shows one amazing ob-gyn hanging out in his patient's room for an entirely different reason: He invented a special dance to supposedly help stimulate her labor.

In a video posted on Facebook, Dr. Fernando Guedes and his patient, Camila Rocha, get down for the cause of bringing a new baby into the world.

Rocha, who is in active labor, stands side-by-side with the doctor and performs an elaborate routine that includes rythmic hip movements, squats, shimmies, wiggles, and a whole lot of laughs.

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In his post, Guedes revealed he actually made up the routine specifically to stimulate labor.

"You get to work and your patient goes into labor!" he wrote. "She asks for the song, we make up the choreography in the hour so that the exercise will help deliver [the baby], and the result: normal birth!"

The dance uses squats, leg movements, and arm movements to keep the mom-to-be active but also reduce her stress level.

As outlined in the Journal of Perinatal Education, allowing birthing moms freedom of movement can actually help labor go faster and make moms more likely to be able to deliver their babies vaginally. It also helps them feel more in control of the birthing process.

Dr. Diana Ramos, OB/GYN and Co-Chair of the National Preconception Health and Health Care Initiative (PCHHC), confirms this, but says there are some exceptions. She tells CafeMom, "...Dancing/walking in early labor may provide relief. But if they if they are in active labor, and have an epidural that does not allow them to be standing, dancing/walking is not possible. Also, if there is a medical complication, such as elevated blood pressure in pregnancy (pre-eclampsia) walking/dancing may not be indicated. I would encourage making a joint decision with their healthcare providers that takes into consideration their specific obstetric needs."

Clearly, this particular mom had her doctor's approval.

But even though we know movement can help moms in labor, most of us aren't used to seeing doctors get in on the action.